Engine starting mechanism



March 28, 1939. A, H. WINKLER 2,152,124

ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /56 60 5* r u/ 1 {64 H i .a y i 62 5'2 M 29 66 fink INVENTOR. )2; 5557" f/ m/v/a e March 28,1939. A H. WINKLER ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 48 \mm Filed Nov. 16, 1936 INVENTOR. 6% 5557/7. M/V/fLfG" ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENGINE. STARTING MECHANISM Application November 16, 1936, Serial No. 111,067

8 Claims.

This invention relates to starters for internal combustion engines.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable electrical system and apparatus 5 adaptable to control the starting of a source of power such as an internal combustion engine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a practical and efiicient starting system for an internal combustion engine including an electrical circuit, and an apparatus controlled by the position of the carburetor throttle and by suction in the manifold of the engine for automatically opening the circuit as soon as the engine starts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an efficient starting system for an internal combustion engine adapted to prevent injury to the starting motor or to the engine due to backfire.

A further object of the invention is to provide an eflicient starting system for an engine including an electrical circuit initially closed by the switch of the ignition system for the engine, automatically opened by opening the throttle and/or by decrease of the (absolute) pressure in the intake manifold of the engine, but which if desired may nevertheless be maintained closed under any conditions of throttle position or manifold pressure.

A further object is to provide a starting system which will automatically re-crank the engine whenever it stalls with the throttle closed, but not otherwise.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the invention as applied; and

Figure 2 is a diagram of the electrical circuits.

Referring to the drawings for more specific details of the invention, I represents an internal combustion engine of any preferred design including an intake manifold 12 having mounted thereon a pressure actuated switch M, the construction and purpose of which will hereinafter appear. The manifold supports a carburetor l5 which is provided with a throttle l5 controlled in the usual manner and having fixed to the shaft Ilia thereof a lever ll grounded as indicated at l9, and carrying on its free end an adjustable contactor 2B.

The carburetor is preferably of the type disclosed inmy copending application Serial No. 41,033; filed September 18, 1935, and as shown is provided with a choke valve 2|, controlled by automatic mechanism 22 or otherwise, and controlling, by means of avalve or piston 23 attached thereto, a by-pass 24 around the throttle, the mechanism being so constructed and arranged that when the choke valve is in or near its closed 5 position the by-pass is opened to permit fuel mixture to by-pass the throttle in sufiicient quantity to'enable the engine to start and run.

A vacuum cylinder indicated generally at 25 is supported adjacent to and suitably insulated 10 from the carburetor, the interior of the cylinder forming a chamber 28 connected as by a tube 30 to the intake manifold I2. A terminal 32 is secured in the end wall of the cylinder and is suitably insulated therefrom as indicated at 33.

The tube 36 is preferably provided with a check valve 34 so constructed, as known in the art, that during normal operation of the engine it is drawn upwardly by intake manifold suction to a position wherein it offers no obstruction to the flow 20 of air to the manifold, but upon a rise of pressure within said manifold, caused for example by an explosion of the fuel mixture therein, it is moved downwardly into a position where it obstructs the flow of gases into the cylinder 25, except for 25 such slow flow as may pass through a restricted orifice 35 formed in the valve.

A piston 36, of suitable insulating material, is slidable within the cylinder 25 and carries a contact member having a projecting end adapted 30 to engage the adjustable contactor 20. A light spring 42 is interposed between the contact member 40 and the terminal 32, in electrically conducting relation to both. Instead of the piston 36, a pressure responsive diaphragm may be used 3 if desired.

Associated with the engine is the usual starting motor 44 for rotating the crank shaft of the engine. This starting motor may be controlled as by a solenoid or some other suitable type of 40 magnetic switch 46 connected in an electrical circuit under the control of an operator, as is known in the art.

The circuit of the motor 44 includes the usual battery 48 having one of its terminals grounded as indicated at 5%! and its other terminal connected by a lead 52 to one terminal of a conventional ignition switch 54. The other terminal of thisswitch is connected by a lead 55 to one terminal of the pressure actuated switch I4. 50 Switch I 4 comprises a spring-pressed piston 56, of insulating material, having a conducting disk 51 thereon which, under normal conditions of pressure, connects the two terminals of the switch. other known types of pressure actuated switches 55 may be used in place of the switch M. The other terminal of the switch is connected by a lead 58 to one terminal of the solenoid coil of a conventional relay 60, the other terminal 01. which is connected by a lead 62 to a push button switch 54 grounded as indicated at 66. The movable contactor of the relay is connected by a lead 68 to the lead 52 and the fixed contactor of the relay is connected by a lead 10 to one terminal of the magnetic switch relay 46 for the starting motor 44. Tapped off from the lead 62 is a lead 12 connected to the terminal 32 of the vacuum cylinder 25.

Operation: Assume that the engine is not running and that it is desired to start the same. The pressure within the intake manifold will be atmospheric, so that the switch I4 will be closed. The throttle valve, in the type of carburetor disclosed, will also be closed, in which closed position the parts will be in the positions shown in full lines in the drawings, contactor 20 being in contact with the member 4|]. The choke valve, assuming the engine is cold, will be in its closed position, so that by-pass 24 will be open to permit fuel mixture to by-pass the throttle. The operator will then close the ignition switch 54, whereupon current will flow from the battery 48 through the lead 52, the switch 54, the lead 55, the pressure switch l4, and the lead 58, to the relay 60, thence through the solenoid of the relay and the lead 12 to the terminal 32, thence through the spring 42 and the contact member to the throttle lever l1, and through this lever to the ground Hi. The current through the circuit just traced will actuate the relay 60, whereupon contact will be made between the fixed and movable contactors of the relay, resulting in closing the circuit between the relay and the solenoid or magnetic switch 46 of the starting motor with the attendant energization of the starting motor and the consequent starting of the engine.

As soon as the engine starts and runs under its own power, suction is created in the intake manifold I2 and the tube or conduit 30 connecting the manifold to the vacuum cylinder 25,

creating a partial vacuum in the chamber 28 of the cylinder. This causes movement of the piston 36 with the attendant breaking of the contact between the member 40 and the adjustable contactor 20, resulting in opening the circuit and shutting off the starting motor.

In case the engine backfires when the starting motor 44 is in operation, the pressure created in the manifold l2 due to the backfire forces the piston 56 of the pressure switch l4 upward, thus opening the circuit and shutting off the starting motor 44 so as to prevent injury thereto. If then the switch 54 remains closed, the motor 44 will not again be energized until switch 14 is closed by reason of the pressure within manifold l2 having dropped to approximately atmospheric, and until member 40 has again contacted member 20 by reason of the pressure within chamber 28 having risen to approximately atmospheric, which requires an appreciable length of time depending on the calibration of orifice 35. In short, a sudden rise of pressure within the intake manifold will immediately result in shutting oil? the motor 44, but a subsequent drop of said pressure to atmospheric or less, such as may momentarily occur in a backfiring engine, will result in re-' starting said motor only after suflicient time has occurred to permit the conditions to become stabilized.

If the engine stalls after being started, the

pressure within the manifold I2 will rise to atmospheric permitting piston 36 to move to the right in Figure 2, whereupon the starting operation will be repeated, assuming that the throttle is closed.

In case the engine becomes flooded during the starting operation, it is necessary to crank the engine with the throttle wide open in order to draw the excess fuel out of the cylinders. Since, in the device as thus far described, opening the throttle breaks the starting circuit, an auxiliary means for closing the circuit is provided in the form of the push button switch 64 which is connected between the relay 6B and the ground 66. The function of this switch is to permit the operator to close the circuit so as to energize the starting motor 44 and crank the motor with the throttle open.

Under conditions of heavy load, as when the vehicle is climbing a steep hill with the throttle wide open, the pressure within the intake manifold may rise to approximately atmospheric, allowing piston 36 to move to the right to the position shown in Figure 2, but under such conditions the starting motor will not be energized because the lever H, being in the throttle open position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, is out of contact with member 40, and the circuit therefore remains open.

Although this invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the various features of the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A starter for an internal combustion engine having an intake, said starter comprising a carburetor connected to the intake of the engine, a throttle valve controlling the carburetor, a throttle lever associated with the valve, and forming an electrical contactor, a movable conductor cooperating with said contactor, and means responsive to suction in the intake of the engine for actuating the movable conductor to open the starting circuit.

2. A starter for an internal combustion engine having an intake, said starter comprising a carburetor having a mixing conduit connected to the intake of the engine, a throttle valve controlling said conduit, a switch controlled by the position of said valve to be closed only when the throttle valve approaches the closed position, a starting motor for the engine, an electrical circuit including the switch and the motor, and means for actuating the switch responsive to suction created in the intake to open the circuit when the intake is subjected to negative pressure.

3. A starter for an internal combustion engine having an intake, and starter comprising a carburetor connected to the intake of the engine, a throttle valve controlling the carburetor, a contactor associated with the throttle valve, a movable conducting member cooperating with the contactor, a vacuum cylinder connected to the intake of the engine for actuating said conducting member to close the circuit when the throttle valve approaches the closed position and the intake is subjected to substantially atmospheric pressure, a starting motor for the engine,

and an electrical circuit embracing the conducting member and the motor.

4. A starter for an internal combustion engine including a battery, a starter motor, an intake manifold and a carburetor having a throttle valve, an electrical switch controlled jointly by the position. of the throttle valve and by the pressure in the manifold to interconnect the battery and starter motor when the throttle approaches the closed position and the pressure in the manifold is substantially atmospheric.

5. A starter for an internal combustion engine having an intake mainifold, a battery, a starting motor, an ignition switch, a carburetor having throttle actuating means, an arm asso-- ciated with the throttle actuating means, a suction actuated electrical switch associated with said arm and adapted to break the connection between the battery and the starting motor when the throttle actuating means is moved a predetermined distance from the throttle closed position, and connecting means between the suction actuated switch and the manifold to break the connection between the battery and the starting motor when a predetermined suction is exerted in the manifold.

6. A starter for an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold, a battery, a starting motor, an ignition switch, a carburetor having throttle actuating means, an arm associated with the throttle actuating means, a suction actuated electrical switch associated with said arm and adapted to break the connection between the battery and the starting motor when the throttle actuating means is moved a predetermined distance from the throttle closed position, connecting means between the suction actuated switch and the manifold to break the connection between the battery and the starting motor when a predetermined suction is exerted in the manifold, a pressure actuated switch including a cylinder and piston interconnecting the battery and starting motor, and connecting means between the manifold and said cylinder to break the connection between the battery and starting motor when a predetermined pressure is exerted within the manifold.

7. In a starter mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a battery, a starter motor, an intake manifold, a carburetor associated with the manifold and having a throttle valve, a cut out switch between the battery and starter motor including a cylinder and a piston slidable in the cylinder, yielding means urging the piston toward one end of the cylinder, connecting means between the cylinder and manifold to subject the piston to variations of pressure in the manifold to move the piston against the resistance of the yielding means, electrical connecting means extending through the cylinder and piston, and a member controlled by the position of the throttle valve to contact said electrical connecting means to interconnect the battery and starter motor when the throttle is near the closed position and the cylinder is not subjected to negative pressure from the manifold.

8. In a starter mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a battery, a, starter motor, an intake manifold, a carburetor associated with the manifold and having a throttle valve, a cut out switch between the battery and starter motor including a cylinder and a piston slidable in the cylinder, yielding means urging the piston toward one end of the cylinder, connecting means between the cylinder and manifold to subject the piston to variations of pressure in the manifold to move the piston against the resistance of the yielding means, electrical connecting means extending through the cylinder and piston, a member controlled by the position of the throttle valve to contact said electrical connecting means to interconnect the battery and starter motor when the throttle is near the closed position and the cylinder is not subjected to negative pressure from the manifold, and an auxiliary cut out switch between the battery and starting motor comprising a cylinder and piston operably connected to the manifold to break the connection between the battery and starter motor when the manifold is subjected to positive pressure.

ALBERT I-I. WINKLER. 

